Supporting message sharing

ABSTRACT

A method and system for processing an email. A mail hub device receives the email from a first mail server, a Mail Thread ID (MTID) from a Mail Thread Board (MTB) server, and additional data from the MTB server. The mail hub device transmits, to a second mail client, the email with the added MTID and the added additional data and in response, receives, from the second email client, a selection of a message from messages contained in the additional data. The mail hub device transmits, to the MTB server, a request to generate an update of the additional data based on the selection of the message. The mail hub device receives, from the MTB server, the updated additional data based on the selection of the message. The mail hub device transmits, to the first mail server, the updated additional data based on the selection of the message.

This application is a continuation application claiming priority to Ser.No. 14/838,487, filed Aug. 28, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,819,625, issuedNov. 14, 2017.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method forsupporting message sharing, and in particular, the present inventionrelates to an apparatus and a method for supporting message sharingamong a plurality of terminals.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, e-mail has served as main communication means fororganizations, such as corporations. In this e-mail, a TO destinationand a CC destination can be specified with ease, and thus, inorganizations, such as corporations, many e-mails in which a pluralityof destinations have been specified are transmitted. That is, manye-mails are transmitted from a transmitting terminal to a plurality ofreceiving terminals. On the other hand, a message is sometimes returnedin response to an e-mail transmitted from a transmitting terminal to aplurality of receiving terminals. In many cases, a message is returnedfrom a receiving terminal specified as a TO destination, and a messageis returned from a receiving terminal specified as a CC destination toowhen necessary.

However, among the messages, there may be also a message containing asmall amount of information. Here, messages containing a small amount ofinformation are, for example, short replies, such as “Noted” and“Thanks”, a request to delete a mail address specified as a CCdestination, a request to add a mail address of another user as a CCdestination, a notification of misdirection, and the like. In anexisting transmitting terminal, such messages containing a small amountof information have also been individually checked. Hence, there hasbeen a problem in that a load imposed on a transmitting terminalchecking messages from a plurality of receiving terminals responsive toan e-mail transmitted from the transmitting terminal to the plurality ofreceiving terminals is high.

In a receiving terminal, to convey a message containing a small amountof information, such as the above message, a message is created inresponse to an e-mail transmitted from a transmitting terminal in eachcase. Hence, as the total number of e-mails containing a CC destinationreceived by a user increases, a load imposed on the user creating amessage with a receiving terminal increases.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present invention provides a method, and associated computer programproduct and computer system, for processing an email.

A mail hub device receives, from a first mail client, the email.

The mail hub device transmits, to a Mail Thread Board (MTB) server, arequest for a Mail Thread ID (MTID) and in response, the mail hub devicereceives the MTID from the MTB server.

The mail hub device adds the MTID to the email.

The mail hub device transmits, to the MTB server, a request foradditional data for the email and in response, the mail hub devicereceives, from the MTB server, the additional data.

The mail hub device adds the additional data to the email to which theMTID was added, wherein the additional data includes a plurality ofmessages.

The mail hub device transmits, to a second mail client, the email towhich the MTID and the additional data was added.

The mail hub device receives, from the second mail client, the MTIDtogether with an indicated selection, by the second mail client, of amessage selected from the plurality of messages.

The mail hub device transmit, to the MTB server, a request, whichincludes the MTID and the selection of the message, to generate anupdate of the additional data, the update being based on the selectionof the message.

The mail hub device receives, from the MTB server, the MTID togetherwith the updated additional data based on the selection of the message,the updated additional data having been generated by the MTB server andstored on the MTB server.

The mail hub device transmits, to the first mail client, the MTIDtogether with the updated additional data based on the selection of themessage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an overall configurationof a computer system, in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functionalconfiguration of an MTB server, in accordance with embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functionalconfiguration of a mail hub device, in accordance with embodiments ofthe present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an operationperformed when mail is transmitted in the computer system, in taccordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an operationperformed when a message is selected in the computer system, inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user interface (UI)provided when a mail client transmits mail, in accordance withembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a UI provided when a mailclient receives the mail, in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a UI provided when themail client transmits a selection, in accordance with embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a UI provided when themail client receives updated additional data, in accordance withembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a UI provided when themail client receives the additional data, in accordance with embodimentsof the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configurationof a computer to which the embodiment of the present invention isapplicable, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail belowwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention reduces a load imposed on a transmitting terminalchecking messages from a plurality of receiving terminals responsive toan e-mail transmitted from the transmitting terminal to the plurality ofreceiving terminals.

The present invention reduces a load imposed on a receiving terminalcreating a message responsive to an e-mail transmitted from atransmitting terminal to a plurality of receiving terminals.

The present invention provides an apparatus for supporting messagesharing among a plurality of terminals, including a generation unitconfigured to be responsive to transmission of an e-mail from atransmitting terminal to a plurality of receiving terminals to generatea storage region associated with the e-mail; a retaining unit configuredto be responsive to transmission of message information from one of theplurality of receiving terminals to retain the message information inthe storage region, the message information indicating a messageresponsive to the e-mail; and a transmitting unit configured to transmitto the transmitting terminal and the plurality of receiving terminalsinformation that provides an instruction to display the messageinformation retained in the storage region in association with thee-mail.

Here, the transmitting unit may be responsive to a request from aspecific one of the transmitting terminal and the plurality of receivingterminals to transmit to the specific one information that provides aninstruction to display the message information retained in the storageregion in association with the e-mail.

Furthermore, the transmitting unit may transmit to the plurality ofreceiving terminals information that provides an instruction to displaya plurality of message options responsive to the e-mail in associationwith the e-mail. In this case, the retaining unit may be responsive totransmission of message information from the one of the receivingterminals to retain the message information in the storage region, themessage information indicating a message responsive to the e-mail basedon a selection state of the plurality of message options.

Furthermore, this apparatus may further include an acquisition unitconfigured to acquire identification information identifying the storageregion; and an association unit configured to associate the storageregion with the e-mail by adding the identification information to thee-mail. In this case, the retaining unit may be responsive totransmission of the message information and the identificationinformation from the one of the receiving terminals to retain themessage information in the storage region identified by theidentification information, and the transmitting unit may transmit tothe transmitting terminal and the plurality of receiving terminalsinformation that provides an instruction to display the messageinformation retained in the storage region identified by theidentification information in association with the e-mail to which theidentification information has been added.

Furthermore, the present invention also provides an apparatus forsupporting message sharing among a plurality of terminals, including ageneration unit configured to be responsive to transmission of an e-mailfrom a transmitting terminal to a plurality of receiving terminals togenerate a storage region associated with the e-mail; a transmittingunit configured to transmit to the plurality of receiving terminalsinformation that provides an instruction to display in association withthe e-mail option information that represents a plurality of messageoptions responsive to the e-mail and set respectively for the pluralityof receiving terminals; and a retaining unit configured to be responsiveto transmission of message information from one of the plurality ofreceiving terminals to retain the message information in the storageregion, the message information indicating a message responsive to thee-mail based on a selection state of the plurality of message optionsset for the one of the receiving terminals and represented by the optioninformation, wherein the transmitting unit transmits to the transmittingterminal and the plurality of receiving terminals information thatprovides an instruction to display the message information retained inthe storage region in association with the e-mail.

Furthermore, the present invention also provides a method for supportingmessage sharing among a plurality of terminals including the steps ofreceiving an e-mail transmitted from a transmitting terminal to aplurality of receiving terminals; in response to reception of thee-mail, displaying on the plurality of receiving terminals inassociation with the e-mail option information that represents aplurality of message options responsive to the e-mail and setrespectively for the plurality of receiving terminals; receiving fromone of the plurality of receiving terminals message informationindicating a message responsive to the e-mail based on a selection stateof the plurality of message options set for the one of the receivingterminals and represented by the option information; and, in response toreception of the message information, displaying the message informationin association with the e-mail on the transmitting terminal and theplurality of receiving terminals.

Furthermore, the present invention also provides a program product forcausing a computer to function as an apparatus for supporting messagesharing among a plurality of terminals, which causes the computer tofunction as a generation unit configured to be responsive totransmission of an e-mail from a transmitting terminal to a plurality ofreceiving terminals to generate a storage region associated with thee-mail; a retaining unit configured to be responsive to transmission ofmessage information from one of the plurality of receiving terminals toretain the message information in the storage region, the messageinformation indicating a message responsive to the e-mail; and atransmitting unit configured to transmit to the transmitting terminaland the plurality of receiving terminals information that provides aninstruction to display the message information retained in the storageregion in association with the e-mail.

The present invention enables a reduction in a load imposed on atransmitting terminal checking messages from a plurality of receivingterminals responsive to an e-mail transmitted from the transmittingterminal to the plurality of receiving terminals.

The present embodiment provides a mechanism in which a transmittingterminal and a receiving terminal for e-mail (hereinafter simplyreferred to as “mail”) share a short message which is in response totransmitted mail by using additional data linked to a thread(hereinafter referred to as a “mail thread”), which is a grouping of aplurality of messages associated with the mail. Here, as short messages,there are replies, such as “Noted” and “Thanks”, a request to delete amail address specified as a CC destination, a request to add a mailaddress of another user as a CC destination, and the like.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an overall configurationof a computer system for implementing such a mechanism, in accordancewith embodiments of the present invention. As illustrated in thediagram, this computer system includes a mail client 10, mail clients 20a, 20 b, and 20 c, a mail server 30, an MTB (Mail Thread Board) server40, and a mail hub device 50. Then, the mail client 10, the mail clients20 a, 20 b, and 20 c, and the mail hub device 50 are connected via anetwork 81. In addition, the mail server 30, the MTB server 40, and themail hub device 50 are connected via a network 82. Although the diagramillustrates the mail clients 20 a, 20 b, and 20 c, it is noted thatthese are each referred to as a mail client 20 when these do not have tobe distinguished from one another (i.e., mail client 20 denotes any mailclient of mail clients 20 a, 20 b, and 20 c). Furthermore, although FIG.1 illustrates one mail client 10 and three mail clients 20, two or moremail clients 10 may be provided, and four or more mail clients 20 may beprovided.

The mail client 10 is a transmission-side client computer used when amail sender transmits mail. A mailer is installed on the mail client 10.Then, when the sender composes mail by using the mailer and provides aninstruction to transmit the mail, the mail client 10 transmits the mailto the mail hub device 50. The mail client 10 may be a computer (e.g.,desktop PC (Personal Computer), a notebook PC, or the like).

The mail client 20 is a reception-side client computer used when a mailrecipient receives mail. A mailer is installed on the mail client 20too. Then, the mail client 20 receives mail transmitted by the mailclient 10 from the mail hub device 50 by using a function of the mailer.The mail client 20 may be a computer (e.g., desktop PC (PersonalComputer), a notebook PC, or the like).

Here, it is noted that the mail client 10 functioning as a mailtransmission side is provided separately from the mail client 20functioning as a mail reception side. However, a mail client functioningas both a mail transmission side and a mail reception side may beprovided.

The mail server 30 is a server computer to manage transmission andreception of mail between the mail client 10 and the mail client 20.Technically, although, as the mail server 30, there are an SMTP serverthat transmits mail to a destination in another network, and a POPserver that stores mail transmitted to a destination within its ownnetwork and waits for a reception request from the mail client 20, thereis illustrated here the mail server 30 as a server serving as both theseservers. The mail server 30 may be a computer (e.g., PC, a workstation,or the like).

The MTB server 40 is a server computer to manage additional data linkedto a mail thread. The details of an operation will be described later.The MTB server 40 may be a computer (e.g., PC, a workstation, or thelike).

The mail hub device 50 is a device to hook transmission and reception ofmail between the mail client 10 and the mail server 30, and between themail client 20 and the mail server 30, and to control additional data ofeach piece of mail. That is, the mail hub device 50 is a device toprovide support so that additional data is shared among the mail client10 and the mail client 20. The details of an operation will be describedlater. The mail hub device 50 may be a computer (e.g., PC, aworkstation, or the like).

Here, it is noted that the MTB server 40 and the mail hub device 50 areseparate devices. However, the MTB server 40 and the mail hub device 50may be combined into a single device. In this case, such a device is anexample of an apparatus for supporting message sharing among a pluralityof terminals.

The network 81 is communication means used for information communicationbetween the mail client 10 and the mail hub device 50, and between themail client 20 and the mail hub device 50. Here, as the network 81, theInternet or the like may be used.

The network 82 is communication means used for information communicationbetween the mail server 30 and the mail hub device 50, and between theMTB server 40 and the mail hub device 50. Here, as the network 82, theInternet, a LAN (Local Area Network), or the like may be used.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functionalconfiguration of the MTB server 40, in accordance with embodiments ofthe present embodiment. As illustrated in the diagram, the MTB server 40includes a receiving unit 41, an MTID (Mail Thread ID) issuing unit 42,a region creation unit 43, an additional data storage unit 44, anadditional data processing unit 45, and a transmitting unit 46.

When the mail client 10 is operated so as to transmit mail, thereceiving unit 41 receives, from the mail hub device 50, requestinformation for requesting issuance of an MTID, which is an IDidentifying a mail thread, and creation of an additional data region,and then receives, from the mail hub device 50, request information forrequesting acquisition of additional data associated with the MTID. Inaddition, when the mail client 20 is operated so as to select a message,the receiving unit 41 receives, from the mail hub device 50, requestinformation for requesting updating of the additional data associatedwith the MTID based on a selection and acquisition of the updatedadditional data. Furthermore, when synchronization of additional data isrequested from the mail client 10, the receiving unit 41 receives, fromthe mail hub device 50, request information for requesting acquisitionof the additional data associated with the MTID.

When the receiving unit 41 receives request information for requestingissuance of an MTID and creation of an additional data region, the MTIDissuing unit 42 issues the MTID. In the present embodiment, an MTID isused as an example of identification information identifying a storageregion, and the MTID issuing unit 42 is provided as an example of anacquisition unit configured to acquire identification information.

When the MTID issuing unit 42 issues an MTID, the region creation unit43 creates an additional data region in association with this MTIDwithin the additional data storage unit 44. In the present embodiment,an additional data region is used as an example of a storage regionassociated with an e-mail, and the region creation unit 43 is providedas an example of a generation unit configured to generate a storageregion.

The additional data storage unit 44 stores, in an additional data regioncreated in association with an MTID by the region creation unit 43,additional data for mail of this MTID. The additional data is data inwhich message candidates supposed to be conveyed to a mail sender areset as options for each mail recipient, and also contains information onwhich of the message candidates has been selected. Here, as messagecandidates, fixed messages, such as “Noted”, “Thanks”, and “No CCneeded”, may be set. Among these, “Noted” and “Thanks” are replymessages to the mail. “No CC needed” is a request message to requestdeletion of one's own mail address from a CC destination field.Alternatively, a request message to request addition of a mail addressof another person in the CC destination field may be set. Also, as amessage candidate, a free description message in which the number ofcharacters is limited may be set in addition to the above-describedfixed messages. In the present embodiment, additional data is used as anexample of message information indicating a message responsive to ane-mail, and also as an example of option information that represents aplurality of message options responsive to an e-mail and setrespectively for a plurality of receiving terminals.

When the receiving unit 41 receives request information for requestingacquisition of additional data associated with an MTID, the additionaldata processing unit 45 reads out the additional data from an additionaldata region associated with this MTID within the additional data storageunit 44. In addition, when the receiving unit 41 receives requestinformation for requesting updating of the additional data associatedwith the MTID based on a selection, the additional data processing unit45 reads out the additional data from the additional data regionassociated with this MTID within the additional data storage unit 44,and updates this additional data based on the selection. In the presentembodiment, the additional data processing unit 45 is provided as anexample of a retaining unit configured to retain message information ina storage region.

When the MTID issuing unit 42 issues an MTID, the transmitting unit 46transmits the MTID to the mail hub device 50. In addition, when theadditional data processing unit 45 reads out additional data, thetransmitting unit 46 transmits this additional data and the MTID to themail hub device 50. Furthermore, when the additional data processingunit 45 updates the additional data, the transmitting unit 46 transmitsthe updated additional data and the MTID to the mail hub device 50.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functionalconfiguration of the mail hub device 50, in accordance with embodimentsof the present embodiment. As illustrated in the diagram, the mail hubdevice 50 includes a client-side receiving unit 51, a requestinformation generation unit 52, a server-side transmitting unit 53, aserver-side receiving unit 54, a mail processing unit 55, a mail storageunit 56, and a client-side transmitting unit 57.

When the mail client 10 is operated so as to transmit mail, theclient-side receiving unit 51 receives the mail from the mail client 10.In addition, when the mail client 20 is operated so as to select amessage, the client-side receiving unit 51 receives a selection and anMTID from the mail client 20. Furthermore, when synchronization ofadditional data is requested from the mail client 10, the client-sidereceiving unit 51 receives a request for synchronization and the MTIDfrom the mail client 10.

When the client-side receiving unit 51 receives mail from the mailclient 10, the request information generation unit 52 generates requestinformation for requesting issuance of an MTID and creation of anadditional data region, and then generates request information forrequesting acquisition of additional data associated with the MTID. Inaddition, when the client-side receiving unit 51 receives a selectionand the MTID from the mail client 20, the request information generationunit 52 generates request information for requesting updating of theadditional data associated with the MTID based on the selection.Furthermore, when the client-side receiving unit 51 receives a requestfor synchronization and the MTID from the mail client 10, the requestinformation generation unit 52 generates request information forrequesting acquisition of the additional data associated with the MTID.

When the request information generation unit 52 generates any of requestinformation for requesting issuance of an MTID and creation of anadditional data region, request information for requesting acquisitionof additional data associated with the MTID, and request information forrequesting updating of the additional data associated with the MTIDbased on a selection, the server-side transmitting unit 53 transmitsthis request information to the MTB server 40. In addition, when themail processing unit 55 adds the MTID to mail and thereby generates mailwith the MTID, the server-side transmitting unit 53 transmits this mailwith the MTID to the mail server 30.

When the mail client 10 is operated so as to transmit mail, theserver-side receiving unit 54 receives an MTID from the MTB server 40,then receives mail with the MTID from the mail server 30, and thenreceives additional data and the MTID from the MTB server 40. Inaddition, when the mail client 20 is operated so as to select a message,the server-side receiving unit 54 receives updated additional data andthe MTID. Furthermore, when synchronization of additional data isrequested from the mail client 10, the server-side receiving unit 54receives the additional data and the MTID.

When the mail client 10 is operated so as to transmit mail, the mailprocessing unit 55 stores, in the mail storage unit 56, the mailreceived by the client-side receiving unit 51 from the mail client 10.Then, the mail processing unit 55 adds an MTID received by theserver-side receiving unit 54 from the MTB server 40 to the mail storedin the mail storage unit 56. Subsequently, the mail processing unit 55stores mail with the MTID received by the server-side receiving unit 54from the mail server 30 in the mail storage unit 56, and extracts theMTID from the mail with the MTID. Then, when the server-side receivingunit 54 receives additional data associated with this MTID from the MTBserver 40, the mail processing unit 55 adds this additional data to themail with the MTID stored in the mail storage unit 56. In addition, whenthe mail client 20 is operated so as to select a message, the mailprocessing unit 55 passes updated additional data received by theserver-side receiving unit 54 from the MTB server 40 and the MTIDdirectly to the client-side transmitting unit 57. Furthermore, whensynchronization of additional data is requested from the mail client 10,the mail processing unit 55 passes the additional data received by theserver-side receiving unit 54 from the MTB server 40 and the MTIDdirectly to the client-side transmitting unit 57. In the presentembodiment, the mail processing unit 55 is provided as an example of anassociation unit configured to associate a storage region with an e-mailby adding identification information to the e-mail.

When the mail processing unit 55 adds additional data to mail with anMTID and thereby generates mail with the MTID and the additional data,the client-side transmitting unit 57 transmits this mail with the MTIDand the additional data to the mail client 20. In addition, when updatedadditional data and the MTID are passed from the mail processing unit55, the client-side transmitting unit 57 transmits these to the mailclient 20. Furthermore, when the additional data and the MTID are passedfrom the mail processing unit 55, the client-side transmitting unit 57transmits these to the mail client 10. In the present embodiment, theclient-side transmitting unit 57 is provided as an example of atransmitting unit configured to transmit information that provides aninstruction to display message information in association with ane-mail, and also as an example of a transmitting unit configured totransmit information that provides an instruction to display optioninformation in association with an e-mail.

FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an operationperformed when mail is transmitted in the computer system, in accordancewith embodiments of the present embodiment. This operation starts by amail sender operating the mail client 10 so as to provide an instructionto transmit mail.

When the operation starts, first, the mail client 10 transmits mail tothe mail hub device 50 (step 601).

Then, the mail hub device 50 receives the mail from the mail client 10(step 602). Specifically, the client-side receiving unit 51 receives themail transmitted by the mail client 10. Thus, the mail hub device 50requests the MTB server 40 to issue an MTID and create an additionaldata region to store additional data for this mail (step 603).Specifically, the mail processing unit 55 stores this mail in the mailstorage unit 56. Then, the request information generation unit 52generates request information for requesting issuance of the MTID andcreation of the additional data region. Subsequently, the server-sidetransmitting unit 53 transmits this request information to the MTBserver 40.

Then, the MTB server 40 receives the request for issuance of the MTIDand creation of the additional data region from the mail hub device 50(step 604). Specifically, the receiving unit 41 receives the requestinformation transmitted by the server-side transmitting unit 53. Thus,the MTB server 40 issues the MTID, and transmits this to the mail hubdevice 50 (step 605). Specifically, the MTID issuing unit 42 issues theMTID. Then, the transmitting unit 46 transmits this MTID to the mail hubdevice 50. At this time, although the following is not illustrated inFIG. 4, the region creation unit 43 creates the additional data regionin association with this MTID within the additional data storage unit44. Then, initial values of the additional data are stored in theadditional data region. Here, the initial values of the additional dataare additional data in a state in which none of message candidates setfor each mail recipient have been selected.

Then, the mail hub device 50 receives the MTID from the MTB server 40(step 606). Specifically, the server-side receiving unit 54 receives theMTID transmitted by the transmitting unit 46. Thus, the mail hub device50 transmits mail with the MTID, to which this MTID has been added bythe mail hub device 50, to the mail server 30 (step 607A). Specifically,the mail processing unit 55 reads out the mail stored in the mailstorage unit 56, deletes it from the mail storage unit 56, and adds thereceived MTID to this mail. Then, the server-side transmitting unit 53transmits the mail with the MTID, to which the MTID has been added, tothe mail server 30. Also in step 607A, the mail hub device 50 transmitsthe MTID to the mail client 10. The MTID is received by the mail client10 (step 607B). The MTID is retained in the mail client 10.

Then, the mail server 30 receives the mail with the MTID from the mailhub device 50 (step 608). Thus, the mail server 30 performs processingto be performed by a typical mail server on this mail, and thentransmits the processed mail with the MTID to the mail hub device 50(step 609).

Then, the mail hub device 50 receives the processed mail with the MTIDfrom the mail server 30 (step 610). Specifically, the server-sidereceiving unit 54 receives the mail with the MTID transmitted by themail server 30. Thus, the mail hub device 50 requests the MTB server 40to acquire the additional data for this mail (step 611). Specifically,the mail processing unit 55 stores the received mail with the MTID inthe mail storage unit 56, and extracts the MTID from the mail with theMTID. Then, the request information generation unit 52 generates requestinformation which contains the MTID and in which acquisition of theadditional data is requested. Subsequently, the server-side transmittingunit 53 transmits this request information to the MTB server 40.

Then, the MTB server 40 receives the request for acquisition of theadditional data from the mail hub device 50 (step 612). Specifically,the receiving unit 41 receives the request information transmitted bythe server-side transmitting unit 53. Thus, the MTB server 40 acquiresthis additional data, and transmits it to the mail hub device 50 (step613). Specifically, the additional data processing unit 45 retrieves theadditional data region associated with the MTID contained in thereceived request information from the additional data storage unit 44,and reads out the additional data stored in the region. At this time, itis noted that, since the initial values of the additional data remainstored in the additional data region, the additional data in a state inwhich none of the message candidates set for each mail recipient havebeen selected is read out. Then, the transmitting unit 46 transmits thisadditional data to the mail hub device 50.

Then, the mail hub device 50 receives the additional data from the MTBserver 40 (step 614). Specifically, the server-side receiving unit 54receives the additional data transmitted by the transmitting unit 46.Thus, the mail hub device 50 transmits mail with the MTID and theadditional data, to which the MTID and the additional data have beenadded by the mail hub device 50, to the mail client 20 (step 615).Specifically, the mail processing unit 55 reads out the mail with theMTID stored in the mail storage unit 56, deletes it from the mailstorage unit 56, and adds the received additional data to this mail withthe MTID. Then, the client-side transmitting unit 57 transmits the mailwith the MTID and the additional data, to which the MTID and theadditional data have been added, to the mail client 20.

Finally, the mail client 20 receives the mail with the MTID and theadditional data from the mail hub device 50 (step 616). As a result, theadditional data, in which the message candidates supposed to be conveyedto the mail sender are set as options for each mail recipient, isdisplayed in association with the mail on the mail client 20.

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an operationperformed when a message is selected in the computer system, inaccordance with embodiments of the present embodiment. This operationstarts by a mail recipient operating the mail client 20 so as to selectany message from among the message candidates set for the mail client 20which are contained in the additional data displayed on the mail client20 in step 616 in FIG. 4.

When the operation starts, first, the mail client 20 transmits aselection obtained as a result of the operation thereof together withthe MTID to the mail hub device 50 (step 651).

Then, the mail hub device 50 receives the selection together with theMTID from the mail client 20 (step 652). Specifically, the client-sidereceiving unit 51 receives the selection and the MTID which have beentransmitted by the mail client 20. Thus, the mail hub device 50 requeststhe MTB server 40 to update the additional data based on the selection(step 653). Specifically, the request information generation unit 52generates request information which contains the MTID and the selection,and in which updating of the additional data is requested. Then, theserver-side transmitting unit 53 transmits this request information tothe MTB server 40.

Then, the MTB server 40 receives the request for updating of theadditional data based on the selection from the mail hub device 50 (step654). Specifically, the receiving unit 41 receives the requestinformation transmitted by the server-side transmitting unit 53. Thus,the MTB server 40 updates the additional data based on the selection,and transmits the updated additional data to the mail hub device 50(step 655). Specifically, the additional data processing unit 45retrieves the additional data region associated with the MTID containedin the received request information from the additional data storageunit 44, and reads out the additional data stored in the region. Then,the additional data processing unit 45 updates the additional data basedon the selection contained in the received request information, andwrites the updated additional data back in the additional data region.Subsequently, the transmitting unit 46 transmits this updated additionaldata and the MTID to the mail hub device 50.

Then, the mail hub device 50 receives the updated additional datatogether with the MTID from the MTB server 40 (step 656). Specifically,the server-side receiving unit 54 receives the updated additional dataand the MTID which have been transmitted by the transmitting unit 46.Thus, the mail hub device 50 transmits the updated additional datatogether with the MTID to the mail client 20 (step 657). Specifically,the mail processing unit 55 receives the updated additional data and theMTID which have been received. Then, the client-side transmitting unit57 transmits the updated additional data and the MTID to the mail client20.

Then, the mail client 20 receives the updated additional data togetherwith the MTID from the mail hub device 50 (step 658). As a result, amessage selected by the mail client 20 from among the message candidatesis indicated in the additional data displayed on the mail client 20 instep 616 in FIG. 4.

On the other hand, the mail client 10 specifies the MTID, and makes arequest to the mail hub device 50 for synchronization with theadditional data on the MTB server 40 (step 659).

Then, the mail hub device 50 receives the request for synchronizationtogether with the MTID from the mail client 10 (step 660). Specifically,the client-side receiving unit 51 receives the request forsynchronization together with the MTID from the mail client 10. Thus,the mail hub device 50 requests the MTB server 40 to acquire theadditional data (step 661). Specifically, the request informationgeneration unit 52 generates request information which contains the MTIDand in which acquisition of the additional data is requested. Then, theserver-side transmitting unit 53 transmits this request information tothe MTB server 40.

Then, the MTB server 40 receives the request for acquisition of theadditional data from the mail hub device 50 (step 662). Specifically,the receiving unit 41 receives the request information transmitted bythe server-side transmitting unit 53. Thus, the MTB server 40 acquiresthe additional data, and transmits the additional data to the mail hubdevice 50 (step 663). Specifically, the additional data processing unit45 retrieves the additional data region associated with the MTIDcontained in the received request information from the additional datastorage unit 44, and reads out the additional data stored in the region.Then, the transmitting unit 46 transmits this additional data and theMTID to the mail hub device 50.

Then, the mail hub device 50 receives the additional data together withthe MTID from the MTB server 40 (step 664). Specifically, theserver-side receiving unit 54 receives the additional data and the MTIDwhich have been transmitted by the transmitting unit 46. Thus, the mailhub device 50 transmits the additional data together with the MTID tothe mail client 10 (step 665). Specifically, the mail processing unit 55receives the additional data and the MTID which have been received.Then, the client-side transmitting unit 57 transmits the additional dataand the MTID to the mail client 10.

Finally, the mail client 10 receives the additional data together withthe MTID from the mail hub device 50 (step 666). As a result, theadditional data in which the message selected by the mail recipient fromamong the message candidates is indicated is displayed in associationwith the mail transmitted in step 601 in FIG. 4 on the mail client 10.

In the example of this operation, the mail client 10 requestssynchronization with the additional data on the MTB server 40 in step659 and thereby receives the up-to-date additional data in step 666;however, it is noted that the operation is not limited to this. Forexample, when the mail hub device 50 transmits the updated additionaldata to the mail client 20 in step 657, the mail hub device 50 maytransmit it to the mail client 10 too, and thus the mail client 10 mayreceive the up-to-date additional data.

In addition, in the example of this operation, the up-to-date additionaldata is transmitted to only the mail clients 10 and 20; however, theoperation is not limited to this. For example, suppose that the mailclient 20 in the example of this operation is the mail client 20 a, andthat the mail clients 20 b and 20 c are additionally provided asreception-side mail clients 20, the up-to-date additional data may betransmitted to the mail clients 20 b and 20 c too. Specifically, themail clients 20 b and 20 c may request synchronization with theadditional data on the MTB server 40, and thus the up-to-date additionaldata may be transmitted to the mail clients 20 b and 20 c. Also, themail hub device 50 may transmit the updated additional data to the mailclients 20 b and 20 c too in step 657, and may thus transmit theup-to-date additional data to the mail clients 20 b and 20 c.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a UI provided when themail client 10 transmits the mail in step 601 in FIG. 4, in accordancewith embodiments of the present invention. As illustrated in thediagram, this UI includes a header display region 71 and a body textdisplay region 72. Then, in the header display region 71, there isindicated that the sender of this mail is a user having a mail address“id0@xxx”, a recipient serving as a TO destination of this mail is auser having a mail address “id1@xxx”, and recipients serving as CCdestinations of this mail are a user having a mail address “id2@xxx” anda user having a mail address “id3@xxx”. It is noted that, hereinafter,the user having the mail address “id0@xxx”, the user having the mailaddress “id1@xxx”, the user having the mail address “id2@xxx”, and theuser having the mail address “id3@xxx” are respectively called a user 0,a user 1, a user 2, and a user 3. In addition, the user 0 uses the mailclient 10, and the user 1, the user 2, and the user 3 respectively usethe mail client 20 a, the mail client 20 b, and the mail client 20 c.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a UI provided when themail client 20 a receives the mail in step 616 in FIG. 4, in accordancewith embodiments of the present invention. As illustrated in thediagram, this UI further includes a message selection region 73. Then,in the message selection region 73, there are indicated, for the mailaddresses of all the recipients, message candidates supposed to beconveyed to the mail sender and check boxes for representing whether ornot the message candidates have been selected. However, this diagramillustrates the UI of the mail client 20 a used by the user 1, onlycheck boxes for the mail address “id1@xxx” can therefore be marked, andcheck boxes for the other mail addresses are grayed out and cannot bemarked. In addition, the diagram also illustrates an MTID unit 70, whichis indicated by dashed lines and is therefore not displayed as a UI,that stores an MTID added to the mail received by the mail client 20 a.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a UI provided when themail client 20 a transmits the selection in step 651 in FIG. 5, inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention. Specifically,there is illustrated an example of a UI provided when the user 1transmits a reply message “Thanks” in response to the received mail. Asillustrated in the diagram, in the message selection region 73, for themail address “id1@xxx”, a check box corresponding to “Thanks” is marked.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a UI provided when themail client 20 a receives the updated additional data in step 658 inFIG. 5, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. Asillustrated in the diagram, in the message selection region 73, for themail address “id1@xxx”, the state of FIG. 8 in which the check boxcorresponding to “Thanks” is marked remains unchanged. On the otherhand, for the mail address “id2@xxx”, a check box corresponding to“Noted” is marked. In addition, “Free comment” is rewritten as “Let meknow as soon as a re-quotation is needed”, and a check box correspondingthereto is also marked. This means that, in the MTB server 40, theadditional data has been updated based on a selection provided by themail client 20 b before acquisition of the additional data updated basedon the selection provided by the mail client 20 a. However, the checkboxes for the mail address “id2@xxx” and the mail address “id3@xxx” aregrayed out and cannot be marked.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a UI provided when themail client 10 receives the additional data in step 666 in FIG. 5, inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention. Specifically,there is illustrated an example of a UI provided when the user 1transmits the reply message “Thanks” in response to the received mail,when the user 2 transmits the reply messages “Noted” and “Let me know assoon as a re-quotation is needed” in response to the received mail, andwhen the user 3 transmits a request message “No CC needed” in responseto the received mail. As illustrated in the diagram, in the messageselection region 73, for the mail address “id1@xxx”, the check boxcorresponding to “Thanks” is marked. In addition, for the mail address“id2@xxx”, the check box corresponding to “Noted” is marked, “Freecomment” is rewritten as “Let me know as soon as a re-quotation isneeded”, and the check box corresponding thereto is also marked.Furthermore, for the mail address “id3@xxx”, a check box correspondingto “No CC needed” is marked. However, this diagram illustrates the UI ofthe mail client 10 used by the user 0, and the check boxes for all ofthe mail addresses are therefore grayed out and cannot be marked.

In the present embodiment, the MTB server 40 and the mail hub device 50are devices independent from the mail clients 10 and 20, and the mailserver 30; however, they do not have to be independent devices. Forexample, a function of the mail hub device 50 may be implemented in themail clients 10 and 20, or may be implemented in the mail server 30. Inaddition, functions of the MTB server 40 and the mail hub device 50 maybe implemented in the mail server 30. In particular, in this case,devices included in the computer system in FIG. 1 are only the mailclient 10, the mail clients 20 a, 20 b, and 20 c, and the mail server30.

In the present embodiment, an additional data region corresponding to amail thread of mail is created in response to transmission of the mail,and a transmitting terminal and receiving terminals share up-to-dateadditional data for the mail thread. This enables a mail sender and mailrecipients to check messages, in list form, from the mail recipientsspecified as a TO destination and a CC destination. In addition, themail sender checks this message list, and thereby can determine a nextaction, and the mail recipients also check the same messages, andthereby can transmit a reply in consideration of the messages.

Additionally, in the present embodiment, a message to the mail sender istransmitted by performing an operation of, for example, marking a checkbox on additional data attached to received mail. This enables the mailrecipients to transmit a message to the mail sender with ease.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configurationof a computer 90 to which embodiment of the present invention isapplicable. As illustrated in the diagram, the computer 90 includes aCPU (Central Processing Unit) 90 a serving as computing means, a mainmemory 90 c connected to the CPU 90 a via an M/B (motherboard) chipset90 b, and a display mechanism 90 d also connected to the CPU 90 a viathe M/B chipset 90 b. In addition, a network interface 90 f, a magneticdisk device (HDD) 90 g, an audio mechanism 90 h, a keyboard/mouse 90 i,and an optical drive 90 j are connected to the M/B chipset 90 b via abridge circuit 90 e.

In FIG. 11, it is noted that individual components are connected viabuses. For example, the CPU 90 a and the M/B chipset 90 b as well as theM/B chipset 90 b and the main memory 90 c are connected via a CPU bus.Then, the M/B chipset 90 b and the display mechanism 90 d may beconnected via an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus; however, in thecase where the display mechanism 90 d includes a PCI Express-compatiblevideo card, the M/B chipset 90 b and this video card are connected via aPCI Express (PCIe) bus. In addition, in the case of connection to thebridge circuit 90 e, for example, PCI Express can be used for thenetwork interface 90 f. Then, for example, serial ATA (AT Attachment),parallel transfer ATA, or PCI (Peripheral Components Interconnect) canbe used for the magnetic disk device 90 g. Furthermore, USB (UniversalSerial Bus) can be used for the keyboard/mouse 90 i and the opticaldrive 90 j.

Here, the present invention may be implemented entirely in hardware orentirely in software. In addition, the present invention can beimplemented in both hardware and software. Furthermore, the presentinvention can be implemented as a computer, a data processing system, ora computer program. This computer program can be stored in acomputer-readable medium and provided. Here, as the medium, anelectronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, orsemiconductor system (apparatus or device), or a propagation medium isconceivable. In addition, examples of the computer-readable mediuminclude a semiconductor or solid state storage device, a magnetic tape,a removable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read onlymemory (ROM), a rigid magnetic disk, and an optical disk. Currentexamples of the optical disk include a compact disk-read only memory(CD-ROM), a compact disk-read/write (CD-R/W), and a DVD.

A computer program product of the present invention comprises a computerreadable hardware storage medium/device having a computer readableprogram code stored therein, said program code containing instructionswhich, upon being executed by a processor of a computer system,implement the methods of the present invention.

A computer system of the present invention comprises a processor, amemory coupled to the processor, and a computer readable storage devicecoupled to the processor, said storage device containing program codewhich, upon being executed by the processor via the memory, implementsthe methods of the present invention.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

The present invention has been described above by using the embodiment;however, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited tothe above embodiment. It is obvious to those skilled in the art thatvarious modifications can be made or alternative forms can be employedwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for processing an email, said methodcomprising: transmitting, by a mail hub device to a Mail Thread Board(MTB) server, a request for a Mail Thread ID (MTID) and in response,said mail hub device receiving the MTID from the MTB server, said emailhaving been received by a mail hub device from a first mail client, saidmail hub device being a first computer, said first mail client being asecond computer, said MTB server being a third computer; adding, by themail hub device, the MTID to the email; transmitting, by the mail hubdevice to the MTB server, a request for additional data for the emailand in response, said mail hub device receiving, from the MTB server,the additional data; adding, by the mail hub device, the additional datato the email to which the MTID was added, wherein the additional dataincludes a plurality of messages; transmitting, by the mail hub deviceto a second mail client, the email to which the MTID and the additionaldata was added, wherein the second mail client is a fourth computer;receiving, by the mail hub device from the second mail client, the MTIDtogether with an indicated selection, by the second mail client, of amessage selected from the plurality of messages; transmitting, by themail hub device to the MTB server, a request, which includes the MTIDand the selection of the message, to generate an update of theadditional data, said update based on the selection of the message;receiving, by the mail hub device from the MTB server, the MTID togetherwith the updated additional data based on the selection of the message,said updated additional data having been generated by the MTB server andstored on the MTB server; and transmitting, by the mail hub device tothe first mail client, the MTID together with the updated additionaldata based on the selection of the message.
 2. The method of claim 1,said method further comprising: receiving, by the mail hub device fromthe first mail client prior to said transmitting the updated additionaldata to the first mail client, the MTID together with a request forsynchronization with the updated additional data stored on the MTBserver, wherein said transmitting the MTID together with the updatedadditional data to the first mail client is in response to said requestfor synchronization.
 3. The method of claim 1, said method furthercomprising: transmitting, by the mail hub device to the second mailclient, the MTID together with the updated additional data.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, said method further comprising: prior to saidtransmitting the request for additional data, said mail hub devicetransmitting the MTID email to a mail server, wherein the email serveris a fifth computer, and wherein the fifth computer is a differentcomputer than the first computer, the second computer, the thirdcomputer and the fourth computer; and receiving, by the mail hub devicefrom the mail server, the MTID email after the mail server processed theemail that is within the MTID email.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinthe request for additional data transmitted by the mail hub device tothe MTB server includes a request for the MTB server to store theadditional data in a storage unit within the MTB server.
 6. The methodof claim 1, wherein each message of the plurality of messages is aresponse to the email.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the mail hubdevice is connected to both the first email client and the second emailclient by a first network, wherein the mail hub device is connected toMTB server by a second network, and wherein the first network and thesecond network are different networks.
 8. The method of claim 1, whereinthe first computer, the second computer, the third computer, and thefourth computer are different computers.
 9. A computer program product,comprising a computer readable hardware storage device having a computerreadable program code stored therein, said program code containinginstructions which, upon being executed by a processor of a mail hubdevice, implement a method for processing an email, said methodcomprising: transmitting, by the mail hub device to a Mail Thread Board(MTB) server, a request for a Mail Thread ID (MTID) and in response,said mail hub device receiving the MTID from the MTB server, said emailhaving been received by a mail hub device from a first mail client, saidmail hub device being a first computer, said first mail client being asecond computer, said MTB server being a third computer; adding, by themail hub device, the MTID to the email; transmitting, by the mail hubdevice to the MTB server, a request for additional data for the emailand in response, said mail hub device receiving, from the MTB server,the additional data; adding, by the mail hub device, the additional datato the email to which the MTID was added, wherein the additional dataincludes a plurality of messages; transmitting, by the mail hub deviceto a second mail client, the email to which the MTID and the additionaldata was added, wherein the second mail client is a fourth computer;receiving, by the mail hub device from the second mail client, the MTIDtogether with an indicated selection, by the second mail client, of amessage selected from the plurality of messages; transmitting, by themail hub device to the MTB server, a request, which includes the MTIDand the selection of the message, to generate an update of theadditional data, said update based on the selection of the message;receiving, by the mail hub device from the MTB server, the MTID togetherwith the updated additional data based on the selection of the message,said updated additional data having been generated by the MTB server andstored on the MTB server; and transmitting, by the mail hub device tothe first mail client, the MTID together with the updated additionaldata based on the selection of the message.
 10. The computer programproduct of claim 9, said method further comprising: receiving, by themail hub device from the first mail client prior to said transmittingthe updated additional data to the first mail client, the MTID togetherwith a request for synchronization with the updated additional datastored on the MTB server, wherein said transmitting the MTID togetherwith the updated additional data to the first mail client is in responseto said request for synchronization.
 11. The computer program product ofclaim 9, said method further comprising: transmitting, by the mail hubdevice to the second mail client, the MTID together with the updatedadditional data.
 12. The computer program product of claim 9, saidmethod further comprising: prior to said transmitting the request foradditional data, said mail hub device transmitting the MTID email to amail server, wherein the email server is a fifth computer, and whereinthe fifth computer is a different computer than the first computer, thesecond computer, the third computer and the fourth computer; andreceiving, by the mail hub device from the mail server, the MTID emailafter the mail server processed the email that is within the MTID email.13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the request foradditional data transmitted by the mail hub device to the MTB serverincludes a request for the MTB server to store the additional data in astorage unit within the MTB server.
 14. The computer program product ofclaim 9, wherein each message of the plurality of messages is a responseto the email.
 15. A computer system, comprising a mail hub device, saidmail hub device comprising a processor, a memory coupled to theprocessor, and a computer readable storage device coupled to theprocessor, said storage device containing program code which, upon beingexecuted by the processor via the memory, implement a method forprocessing an email, said method comprising: transmitting, by the mailhub device to a Mail Thread Board (MTB) server, a request for a MailThread ID (MTID) and in response, said mail hub device receiving theMTID from the MTB server, said email having been received by a mail hubdevice from a first mail client, said mail hub device being a firstcomputer, said first mail client being a second computer, said MTBserver being a third computer; adding, by the mail hub device, the MTIDto the email; transmitting, by the mail hub device to the MTB server, arequest for additional data for the email and in response, said mail hubdevice receiving, from the MTB server, the additional data; adding, bythe mail hub device, the additional data to the email to which the MTIDwas added, wherein the additional data includes a plurality of messages;transmitting, by the mail hub device to a second mail client, the emailto which the MTID and the additional data was added, wherein the secondmail client is a fourth computer; receiving, by the mail hub device fromthe second mail client, the MTID together with an indicated selection,by the second mail client, of a message selected from the plurality ofmessages; transmitting, by the mail hub device to the MTB server, arequest, which includes the MTID and the selection of the message, togenerate an update of the additional data, said update based on theselection of the message; receiving, by the mail hub device from the MTBserver, the MTID together with the updated additional data based on theselection of the message, said updated additional data having beengenerated by the MTB server and stored on the MTB server; andtransmitting, by the mail hub device to the first mail client, the MTIDtogether with the updated additional data based on the selection of themessage.
 16. The computer system of claim 15, said method furthercomprising: receiving, by the mail hub device from the first mail clientprior to said transmitting the updated additional data to the first mailclient, the MTID together with a request for synchronization with theupdated additional data stored on the MTB server, wherein saidtransmitting the MTID together with the updated additional data to thefirst mail client is in response to said request for synchronization.17. The computer system of claim 15, said method further comprising:transmitting, by the mail hub device to the second mail client, the MTIDtogether with the updated additional data.
 18. The computer system ofclaim 15, said method further comprising: prior to said transmitting therequest for additional data, said mail hub device transmitting the MTIDemail to a mail server, wherein the email server is a fifth computer,and wherein the first computer, the second computer, the third computer,the fourth computer, and the fifth computer are different computers; andreceiving, by the mail hub device from the mail server, the MTID emailafter the mail server processed the email that is within the MTID email.19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the request for additionaldata transmitted by the mail hub device to the MTB server includes arequest for the MTB server to store the additional data in a storageunit within the MTB server.
 20. The computer system of claim 15, whereineach message of the plurality of messages is a response to the email.